Jeremy has grown in capacity within CommonSpirit Health across his more than seven years of experience in the organization. In his capacity at Marian Regional Medical Center in Dignity Health, he was selected to work on the Philanthropy Education Summit Committee for both 2019 and 2020. This summit brought together Dignity Health foundations with the purpose of education, inspiration, and networking amongst the broader philanthropic organization. In 2020, the summit shifted into a virtual setting as Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health merged to form a new healthcare ministry, CommonSpirit Health. As a member of the planning committee, he worked with other committee members to plan, implement, and direct the educational portions of the summit. In 2023, he again took a leadership role in the Philanthropy Education Summit Committee in the capacity of developing educational opportunities alongside the committee for the CommonSpirit Health Foundations across the system. As the system physically met for the first time since the merger, this summit was instrumental in forging together philanthropic team members. His acumen and growing expertise in grant management has been taken into account at the national level. In addition to the planning committee, Jeremy presented at the Philanthropy Education Summits on three separate occasions. This included educational sessions in employee giving campaigns, data integrity within donor databases, and grant development. Jeremy has also been selected to serve on several committees, working through the establishment of grant tracking software for the healthcare system, mission integration, and fundraising ethics panels. Jeremy is committed to philanthropy through his recent approval to sit for the CFRE exam. In addition to the potential CFRE accreditation, his article on grant development was published in the Spring 2023 issue of the AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal.
I stumbled into healthcare philanthropy during a major career transition in my life. What started as a temp job led to a role at Marian Regional Medical Center Foundation. I received tremendous guidance there early on from a team that sought quality in every aspect and had the privilege to learn different facets of healthcare philanthropy. I count myself fortunate because Marian was consistently a top-performing foundation, and moving to another top-performing foundation at CHI Memorial has provided even more opportunity to grow. I truly was quite lucky to learn there and grow within CommonSpirit Health.
In my role I’m privileged to have a seat in the conversation on the pursuit of health equity and innovation. Whether it has been emerging residency programs, an innovative art therapies and well-being program, mobile cancer screening programs, or other needed pursuits, I feel like I am always in a place to grow and support our visionary clinical leaders. I have considered myself a lifelong learner, and managing the entire lifecycle of a grant has led me to learn so much about complex and nuanced issues. It’s rewarding to see the positive impact of the work that is done.
A major pivot point for me was when I first entered into the nonprofit sector. Working with youth in San Francisco in a faith-based nonprofit taught me a lot about donor stewardship. It challenged me in different ways and revealed my capabilities, strengths, and growth potential. It also revealed a lot about areas I needed to grow. I look back now and see how it was a great step in my own personal and professional development. Plus, commuting across the Golden Gate Bridge every day was a nice perk.
I have always been someone who has enjoyed learning. Whether it was in academic pursuits, reading for fun, or doing a deep dive into a research topic for a grant proposal, seeking to learn more about a topic has always been of interest. With constant innovations in healthcare, things never get dull and old, so it motivates me to pursue understanding issues and topics, compelling me to adjust my own assumptions with new data and compelling stories. Turns out writing term papers for a living is a great fit.
I would suggest that you enter every conversation as an opportunity to grow and learn. Curiosity will help you on the path to learning about new roles, programs, and can help you understand personalities in the hospital. I invite you to be curious about people’s passions and programs and to see a potential partner in growing philanthropy within the healthcare system and in the furthering of an enriching work culture. Additionally, learning from others in different hospitals both in your region and across the country can bring good ideas, best practices, and can make your life a bit easier.
I once took part in coaching at a sports camp in Egypt. I taught basketball to Egyptian youth on an outdoor court in the middle of the desert for a few weeks and came back with sun-bleached hair and the greatest tan I have ever had.